News for 06 April 2017
All the news for Thursday 6 April 2017
Canada go on goal spree but India and Chile take top spots in Pool A and B
Photo courtesy of PAHF/Chris Wilson/Yan Huckendubler.
A huge win for Canada was not enough to climb to the top of Pool B as Chile had already done enough in their win over Mexico to take top spot and earn a bye to the semi-finals.
In Pool A, India finished winners, so also get a bye to the semi-finals. A spirited performance by Uruguay against higher-ranked Belarus, ensured that Uruguay will take their place in the quarter-finals against Mexico, who finished third in Pool B, while Belarus will have a potentially tough encounter against the host nation Canada.
Pool B: Mexico v Chile 0-2
Chile scored their opening goal in the 8th minute from a penalty corner. Camila Caram’s initial sweep on goal was saved by Mexican keeper Jesus Castillo but the air-born rebound was tapped in by Sofia Walbaum to lift Chile 1-0. In the 19th minute, Chile capitalised again on a set piece in the second quarter when Manuela Urroz deflected another sweep from Caram, this time at the far post, to double Chile’s lead.
A spirited Mexican defence put up a wall for the remainder of the game, denying Chile a third goal both in free play and through several penalty corner attempts. The opening half goals were enough to give Chile their third-straight win to top Pool B and earn a bye in to the semifinals on 8 April.
Pool A: Uruguay v Belarus 3-2
It was even opening quarter with both teams scoring just one minute apart. Uruguay executed a give-and-go play on a penalty corner that resulted in Kaisuami Dall’orso setting up Carolina Mutilva for the 1-0 lead in the 14th minute. Less than a minute later Belarus finished a set piece as Sviatlana Bahushevich deflected at the near post to tie the game 1-1 entering the first break. Matilde Kliche lifted the Cimarronas 2-1 when she picked up a rebound, curled and fired into the unguarded net in the 24th.
Following a penalty corner in the 38th minute, Belarus was awarded a penalty stroke but Yuliya Mikheichyk’s flick rang off the post. Uruguay were unable to match the pace of the Belarussian attack for most of the second half and conceded a penalty corner in the 48th minute. Belarus forward Nastassia Syrayezhka put in the rebound to tie the game 2-2. The game was decided in the final minute of play as against the flow Maria Teresa Viana Ache put in a diving deflection goal that Uruguay 3-2 to finish in an all-important second place in Pool A.
Pool B: Canada v Trinidad and Tobago 12-0
Canadian Rachel Donohoe got the scoring flurry going as the striker danced through a sea of white shirts to rip a back-hand past Trinidad and Tobago keeper Petal Derry. It was the first of three goals in as many minutes as Canadian defender Alison Lee sent a pass across the circle that deflected in off a defender. Just after, Alex Thicke walked in and found the back board to give Canada a 3-0 lead just six minutes into the game. Canada added three more deflection goals before half as Donohoe notched her second and Jordyn Faiczak buried two for a 7-0 lead at the break.
Donohoe tapped in her third goal of the game, finishing a Kate Wright pass to give Canada an eight-goal advantage in the 32nd minute. The goals kept flowing as Nikki Woodcroft, Brienne Stairs, Dani Hennig scored for Canada, who clinched second place in Pool B with the 12-0 victory.
The line-up for the quarter-finals, which take place on April 6 (all times PDT):
14:15 Uruguay v Mexico
16:30 Canada v Belrarus
India and Chile have byes to the semi-finals.
You can keep track of the tournament in West Vancouver on the official competition pages by clicking here and on FIH’s social media channels using the #HWL2017 hashtag.
FIH site
Long ways to go
But T&T hockey men are improving, says skipper
By Mark Pouchet
TAKING THEM ON: T&T's Jordan Reynos, centre right, attempts to drive through two Russian defenders while his teammate Akil Pierre, centre left, looks on, during their opening game in the FIH World League 2 tournament at Tacarigua on March 25. Russia won the match 3-1.
NATIONAL men’s hockey team captain Darren Cowie has praised the effort of the young Trinidad and Tobago players during the March 25-April 2 FIH Men’s World League 2 tournament, in which T&T placed fifth among the eight teams.
But Cowie, who is also the Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board development officer, says the young players have some road to travel to get their game up to world-class level.
Eleven of the 18 players that comprised Team TTO at the Tacarigua-hosted event were under the age of 23, with 10 of them having been promoted from the national under-21 squad that contested the Junior Pan American Championship last year, when they also placed fifth.
In an interview with Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) media, Cowie said his previous experience coaching the U-21 team came to bear in the League 2 tournament.
“It was easy (leading the young guys).
Trinidad & Tobago Express
Green Army Squad To Face Germany
The Green Army will face Germany, world number 7, in two fixtures in Dusseldorfer Hockey Club next week. Graham Shaw’s charges are preparing for the World League Semi Finals which acts as a direct World Cup Qualifier and playing the current Olympic bronze medallists is a challenge the side are relishing. Germany will prove a tough opponent to break down with the imposing duo of Franzisca Hauke and their decorated captain Janne Muller-Wieland both in the squad, while FIH Rising Star of the Year nominee Nike Lorenz also features.
Shaw said “We will continue to rotate our squad and again look at many different options available to us. Germany, like GB, will provide a fantastic challenge and one we are very much looking forward to. We look forward to spending time together as a squad and continue our preparation for World League Semi Finals”.
The fixtures against Germany are the second set of matches for the Green Army amongst a list of mouth-watering ties in the run up to World League. Most recently Ireland faced the current Olympic champions and Shaw commented “We were very happy with the GB series in Bisham Abbey. We had a good opportunity to look at different players in different positions as we continue to develop our squad. We used 22 players and while we were disappointed we didn’t pick a win, the performances were very good at times”.
Fixtures:
Germany vs Ireland. 12/4/17 18:30 in Dusseldorfer Hockey Club (Local time)
Germany vs Ireland. 13/4/17 15:30 in Dusseldorfer Hockey Club (Local time)
Squad:
Emma Buckley- Cork Harlequins
Grace O Flanagan- Railway Union
Yvonne O Byrne – Cork Harlequins
Ali Meeke- Loreto
Shirley McCay- Ulster Elks
Roisin Upton- Cork Harlequins
Lena Tice-UCD
Rebecca Barry- Cork Harlequins
Hannah Matthews- Loreto
Zoe Wilson- Harvesthuder
Gillian Pinder- UCD
Katie Mullan- UCD
Nicci Daly- Muckross
Nicola Evans- Hermes/Monkstown
Deirdre Duke- UCD
Anna O Flanagan- Hermes/Monkstown
Emily Beatty- KHC Dragons
Ellen Curran- Hermes/Monkstown
Irish Hockey Association media release
#BackTheBlueSticks - Support Scotland men in fundraising campaign
Scotland men v Slovakia 1Scotland’s senior men’s hockey squad has exceeded all expectations and qualified for the World League semi-finals in London this June. Now the squad needs your support to take them further than they’ve ever gone before.
Qualifying for the World League semi-finals is a tremendous achievement for Scotland - this is the first time a Scotland team has ever qualified for the World League semi-finals, and the Scots now have the opportunity to play for a place in the Hockey World Cup.
Scotland began this incredible journey ranked 28 in the world and have now climbed to 23rd in the rankings – they have earned the chance to reach the Hockey World Cup.
The Blue Sticks qualified from World League 1 in Glasgow last year to compete against a challenging, and well-funded, field at World League 2 in Belfast. Against all the odds, the team progressed to the World League semi-finals with some exceptional performances.
The Scotland squad now needs your help to fund this next step of the journey.
In London Scotland will face the likes of England, the Netherlands, India, Pakistan, Korea, Canada, China, Malaysia, and Argentina. The squad, young and full of potential, requires financial support in order to go toe-to-toe with some of the best hockey teams in the world.
The Scotland men’s hockey team is full of aspiration – as well as the potential of reaching the Hockey World Cup they are aiming to compete at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games 2018, and have athletes on GB programmes with their sights set towards the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
The team has done amazingly well this far, will you help them on the next step of the journey?
You can support the team by donating to the crowdfunding site HERE.
Alternatively you can call the Scottish Hockey office on 0141 550 5999 to make a donation.
Further details of fundraising campaigns for the team will be announced in the coming weeks. Thank you for your support - now is the time to #BackTheBlueSticks.
Scottish Hockey Union media release
Quemada loving being back in the family fold at Club Egara
Pau Quemada says he is loving being part of the genesis of a team at Club Egara following his return to the club of his youth after a dozen years away.
The Spanish international has a long and storied history in the EHL, leading KHC Leuven to the FINAL4 in 2008/09, the first Belgian club to go that far while he has scored 18 goals in the competition between spells with Leuven and Real Club de Polo.
Now back with Egara, he says that the club is currently creating a new team with a very clear philosophy.
“We are building a team with home players and we can see that, week after week, the team is growing in all aspects and our position on the ranking proves it,” he told the EHL website.
Egara won the Spanish playoffs last season and are looking good to return to the last four once again but the regular season looks out of reach with three games to go with Polo leading by eight points.
“I’m happy with the team performance in general aspects but, as a player, I see we are building a team. There are few things that have to be better in order to compete at 100% in the EHL and the last phase of the Spanish season.
“We have seen that if we train and play hard, we can match any team in the Spanish league and we hope we can advance in the EHL.”
Being back at his home club, Quemada says that despite the time away, he has settled straight back into life at the Terrassa-based club.
“Being back with family and friends is always nice, especially when you add the weather it makes it even better! Of course the team have changed and the competition is different but I’m glad I made the choice to return.
“I’m playing with some of my friends from the childhood like Edu Arbós and Quico Cortès and, at the same time, playing against some of our other friends that we have grown up against which makes it fun too.
“The club itself has grown in members but the spirit stays the same. Last week I’ve played my first ‘derby’ at home after 12 years and I love playing this kind of game.”
Egara are playing in their sixth EHL campaign, reaching the FINAL4 in the inaugural season in 2007/08 and the KO8 twice. And Quemada is excited about the task ahead in Egara colours, attempting to create new memories in the competition.
“The EHL is the biggest competition you can play with your club team, bringing the opportunity to play against the best teams in Europe and have a great hockey experience.
“The TV, the atmosphere and the crowd makes it great for a hockey player. Let’s see how far we can go!”
They have a big task in front of them, meeting Germany’s Mannheimer who are aiming for their first KO8 place having lost their one previous KO16 game in 2010/11.
The two clubs met in a challenge match in February, playing out a 3-3 draw. It gave Quemada an idea of the battle they will face on April 15 (17.15).
“We know we will be facing a really strong team that has talented players and the best drag-flick specialist [Gonzalo Peillat] in the world. On paper, it seems a difficult task but, as in all sports, the game has to be played to know the result and we are ready to fight for it.”
Euro Hockey League media release
38 hockey players land jobs as part of PHF's initiative
By Nabil Tahir
PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) secretary Shahbaz Ahmed Senior has confirmed that the federation has succeeded in landing jobs for 38 players in two departments.
Last year, PHF had asked players who represented Pakistan at international level to get in touch so that they could find suitable jobs for them.
It took a year and a half but PHF has made good on its promise as more than three dozen hockey players are now on the books of ZTBL (18) and Fauji Foundation (20).
While talking to The Express Tribune, Shahbaz confirmed that the jobs provided to the players is part of the same plan which was announced last year and that they are not finished yet, with more hirings expected in future.
“When we announced the plan last year, many players contacted us and then we made a priority list according to their experience and number of international and domestic matches they have played,” he said. “Then we went to the departments who had earlier played an important role for the national game.
“The departments not only showed their willingness in reviving the sport but also agreed to provide jobs to the players.”
Shahbaz also talked about the national team’s recent tour of New Zealand and Australia, saying the team’s performance exceeded their expectations.
“The team was out of international hockey for months but still performed up to the mark,” he said. “Looking at the rankings, there was no comparison between this Pakistan team and Australia, yet the Greenshirts’ performance improved in each match.
“In New Zealand and against another tough opponent, the team’s performance was even more satisfactory.”
Shahbaz also stated that the team’s primary target should be to qualify for the World Cup, which is why the federation is also trying to organise a series against Ireland and England before their World Cup qualifiers.
The Express Tribune
Children’s home benefits from SGA hockey kit
Rabobank (in white) and Shelter Children’s Home teams go head-to-head in a friendly hockey match at the Shelter Children’s Home last weekend. The match was played during the donation of the two goal posts and t-shirts by security firm SGA to the Shelter Children’s Home in Ngong. PHOTO | COURTESY | NATION MEDIA GROUP
Regional security firm SGA has donated two new hockey goal posts and playing jerseys to the Shelter Children’s Home in Ngong, Kajiado County.
The charity event was organised by the Kenya Hockey Youth Development Programme which aims to develop talented youngsters to bring Kenya back into the top 10 hockey nations.
The programme enables needy children to learn to play hockey through tuition by experienced coaches.
The youngsters receive hockey sticks and balls and are also served a substantial meal after their practice sessions and matches.
Rabobank and Shelter Children’s Home team swung into immediate use of the goal posts in a friendly match between the two teams at the weekend with Shelter Children’s Home emerging winners and giving the home another reason to smile for the day.
Daily Nation
Ticket registration launched on new 2018 Hockey World Cups website
The International Hockey Federation (FIH) has officially launched pre-registration for tickets for the 2018 Hockey World Cups taking place in England and India next year.
With the women’s event being held at Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London between 21 July – 5 August 2018 and the men’s at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar in November/December, fans can now register their interest in purchasing tickets via a brand new Hockey World Cups 2018 website: worldcup2018.hockey
With demand for tickets set to be high, by signing-up, fans will be kept up to date with all the latest news from both events, including key ticket dates, pricing and any exclusive offers over the coming months.
To celebrate this launch, FIH is offering fans who pre-register for tickets between 5-30 April 2017 the chance to win limited edition Adidas World Cup Hoodies as part of a social media competition across FIH Twitter, Instagram and Facebook channels.
Tomorrow England Hockey launches a Hockey Family priority access window offering members of hockey clubs affiliated with England Hockey and previous international match purchasers the first opportunity to secure a limited amount of tickets, from 6-24 April 2017. This follows confirmation of the women’s World Cup session schedule which can be viewed on the official website here. Then, in August, England Hockey will run a public ballot placing those who apply into a draw for their selected tickets, in order to meet the massive demand which is expected for the event.
In launching the new websites, two brand new logos for the Hockey World Cups were also revealed, based on the historic trophies presented to the winners of both competitions.
Whilst the men’s Trophy is regarded as an iconic prize in international hockey, the women’s trophy is currently undergoing a transformation to enhance its stature in-line with hockey’s proud value of being ‘Equally Amazing’.
The story behind this and the history of the men’s trophy, plus information about the host cities and key statistics about the World Cups will help fans get excited as the official countdown to hockey’s two legendary events gets underway.
Speaking about this, FIH CEO Jason McCracken said: “The launch of the new World Cup website and pre-registration for tickets marks an important milestone in the countdown to the Hockey World Cups. Apart from the Olympic Games, our World Cups are the pinnacle of the sport. The content being shared across our digital channels will really boost excitement amongst fans and athletes in the lead up to these events, which I’m sure will further increase during the Hockey World League Semi-Finals – our World Cup qualifiers in June and July.”
To keep up to date with all the latest news relating to these events over the coming months, visit FIH.ch and follow FIH via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
FIH site